Okay, so I was thinking today about Amber, Amberites, and the Golden Circle.
Assume, first, that true Amberites of the blood are indeed magical people, powerful beyond ordinary folks in prowess, cunning, and magic, even without the Pattern. That may or may not be a valid assumption but for these purposes let's assume that they are.
Given that Oberon is mentioned in Merlin's Big Adventure to have sired a goodly number of bastard children, could we not make a few assumptions:
1> At least some of these folks would be born in the Golden Circle.
2> Some more of these folks would find their way to the Golden Circle, because folk of the Blood have some natural inclination for shadow-walking, even without the Pattern.
3> A descendant of Oberon would be more likely to be able to sieze power in a Golden Circle realm than a non-descendant
Can we not reasonably conclude that there would be Amberite blood flowing in the royal lines of at least one Golden Circle kingdom?
Some of these points are not completely unassailable (Oberon might have been careful, GC rulers might keep their eye out for them and eliminate them) but I think there's a strong argument to be made.
Has anyone included this kind of idea in their games?
Of course, yes. It has even happened already, with coral, luke and dalt (well, at least, he tried to seize power).
Those are all fairly recent, in canon terms. The blood isn't really FLOWING yet, is it?
I mean further back.
Well, you just haven't heard of them. But Shadow Circle kingdoms never felt like pushover either, maybe because of this.
That could be an interesting premise for a strategic-level game; Power Vacuum in Amber.
Something has happened to remove all of the Royal Amberites from the picture; Castle Amber is ripe for the picking. You, the ruler of a Golden Circle kingdom, have a secret; you not only know of the pattern but you know for certain that the blood of Oberon runs in your veins. You have what it takes to take Castle Amber and found a new Amberite dynasty...
But you're not the only one.
Great throne war!!!! :D
First dibs on the pattern!!!
Right, but who will you get to guard you, while you walk it?
Quote from: OthaRight, but who will you get to guard you, while you walk it?
The ghost of Uncle Caine :D
Quote from: OthaCan we not reasonably conclude that there would be Amberite blood flowing in the royal lines of at least one Golden Circle kingdom?
Easily. In fact I'd add another consideration to the list. Coral is clearly the result of an affair conducted under the guise of some sort of political visit. Is it not reasonable to assume that Oberon, being the kind of chap he was, would have used the same premise to conduct other affairs under the noses of his various wives and other potential witnesses? He may even have seen this as a prudent method for ensuring that he could control vassel states by offering access to the Pattern to key individuals as a bargining strategy further down the line.
He might even use shapeshifting to keep it secret which kids were his.
As long as he didn't shift to female.... EW!!!
Given that in the original legend of the Unicorn had it as a strongly male figure...
Quote from: OthaGiven that in the original legend of the Unicorn had it as a strongly male figure...
Hmm, so he's NOT Grandpa, but Grandma... :eek:
Luv this thread.
I'm sure Oberon had lots of fun in the Golden Circle as did his children.
(and did we). The House of Karm is/was a likely candidate for having Amberite super-blood I'd think. I'd bet that any surviving members have a likelihood of good-stuff or Amber blood.
Or both.
Osric Knows...
Run for your lives!!! It's a zombie thread!!!
Ahem... OK.
Actually, the idea of Oberon playing with the Pattern as a bargaining chip is pretty cool. Never thought of that. And, Crafty, dude, IF you were thousand of years old, and a shapeshifter, do you seriously believe you wouldn't try that?
I once had an idea that the way a Shadow was brought into the Golden Circle was for Oberon to have sex with one of the current royalty there. There's no real evidence for this of course, other than Oberon's proclivity for sleeping around, and the already known children he has sired in Golden Circle royal families. What got me thinking though was the scene where the Pattern guides Merlin to repair that Broken Pattern, and then make love to Coral at the center. It made me wonder if there was a similar act involved in the creating of the original pattern, ie. between Dworkin and the Unicorn perhaps? The Pattern having a tantric component would make for an interest variation if played right, although obviously there isn't anything really backing this up other than wild speculation on my part.
And what speculation it is!
I like it... thus linking it's offspring to it, and the sway Amber has over the blood.